Master Windows Terminal: The Ultimate Guide to Multi-Shell, Tabs, Panes & Customization for Power Us

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a screen cluttered with half a dozen shell windows—juggling Command Prompt, Windows PowerShell, and WSL just to get through your daily to-do list—congratulations, you’re officially living the classic techie struggle. There’s nothing like that tangle of black boxes, copy-pasting commands as though your job title were “Human Clipboard.” But what if I told you: Microsoft finally made the Alt+Tab Olympics obsolete? That, at long last, Windows Terminal is the tabbed, multiverse workplace you didn’t know your wrists were dreaming of. Spoiler: once you’re set up, you’re never going back.

The Command-Line Renaissance: Why Windows Terminal Exists​

First things first: Windows Terminal isn’t yet another shell. It’s a command-line aggregator, a grand hotel lobby from which you can summon CMD, PowerShell, or even drop straight into Ubuntu via WSL, all in a single, pretty window. So while grandma might not care, you—the power user, the developer, the accidental sysadmin—will appreciate this containerized approach to managing your digital underbelly.
Why care? For one thing, it means never again hunting through your taskbar for “the one with the running build script” or “the one messing with system files as Admin.” With tabs and panes, everything you need is right there, organized and accessible. You can split the screen, assign hotkeys, slap on pretty themes, and never again will a misplaced click send your train of thought off the rails.

Installing Windows Terminal: Yes, It’s (Probably) Already There​

Let’s get the easy part out of the way. Running Windows 11, version 22H2 or newer? You’ve got Windows Terminal, right-click the Start button and it’s waiting in the menu. Older builds or still holding onto Windows 10? No worries. Just pop open the Microsoft Store, search for “Windows Terminal,” and click Install. You’re done in under five minutes—including the time needed to wonder why it wasn’t always this simple.
Extra sharp tip: for quick-draw access, right-click that freshly installed icon and pin it to your taskbar. Convenience is productivity’s best friend.

One App, All the Shells: Adding WSL, PowerShell, and CMD​

Here’s where the fun begins. Windows Terminal usually auto-detects your existing shells—PowerShell, Command Prompt, WSL distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, whatever your heart desires), even Azure Cloud Shell. On launch, click the dropdown arrow beside the “+” tab and you’ll see your options. If something’s missing (for example, you installed a less common shell, or a new WSL instance), adding it is delightfully straightforward:

• Open Terminal (or Terminal (Admin) if you want to live dangerously).
• Right-click the title bar, select Settings.
• In the settings sidebar, scroll to Add a new profile.
• Click New empty profile.
• Fill in the basics: Give it a catchy name, browse for the shell’s executable, set a starting directory, grab an icon if you want, and tweak tab behavior.
• Hit Save.

That’s it. Your bespoke shell setup is now on-demand, no file-digging necessary.

Tabbed Nirvana: Task Separation Has Never Looked So Good​

Remember why so many power users fall for Linux, macOS, or even tricked-out Linux distros? It’s the multi-terminal workflow. Windows Terminal brings this joy to the masses—no plugin-fiddling required. Need a persistent CMD window for batch scripts, a PowerShell tab for playing admin, and your trusty WSL bash shell for dev work? Go wild. Hit Ctrl + Shift + T for a new tab (always in your default shell), or use the dropdown to pick your weapon of choice.
Think of it like browser tabs, but for getting actual work done. Projects, environments, roles—all neatly separated, constantly at your fingertips.
And, no, you don’t have to remember which tab is which. Color-coded profile icons and customizable tab titles mean you’ll spot the right one at a glance. It’s less “panic at the terminal” and more “zen garden of productivity.”

Divide and Conquer: Panes Turn Multitasking Up to Eleven​

Tabs are great, but sometimes, you need more—side-by-side, real-time views. This is where split panes come in. Picture this: you’re running a server in one pane, writing code in another, and dropping root commands in a third. No desktop shuffling, no getting lost on virtual desktops.
Here’s your cheat sheet for panes:

• Open a horizontal or vertical pane: Alt + Shift + D (duplicates current shell)
• Split downward: Alt + Shift + -
• Split right: Alt + Shift + +
• Close a pane: Ctrl + Shift + W

Size and reorder panes at will—drag and drop or use keyboard commands to shape your workstation just the way you like. Say goodbye to the old “laptop monitor looks like Mission Control” aesthetic.

Shortcut Sorcery: Your Fingers Will Thank You​

Don’t underestimate the power of keyboard shortcuts. Windows Terminal is packed with them, and learning just a handful can be transformative:

• Switch tabs: Ctrl + Tab (next), Ctrl + Shift + Tab (previous)
• Command Palette: Click the dropdown icon and select Command Palette to view every action and its associated shortcut
• Open new tab: Ctrl + Shift + T
• Close pane/tab: Ctrl + Shift + W
• Scroll up/down: Ctrl + Shift + Up/Down Arrow

You can even custom-bind your own favorites in the Settings (more on that later).
If your mouse secretly wishes it could take a vacation, this is your chance to make it happen.

Terminal, Tailored: Customizing Windows Terminal for Maximum Joy​

Why settle for boring defaults, anyway? Windows Terminal makes it easy—almost dangerously so—to tweak your environment. Here are the highlights:

Appearance Settings: Because Aesthetics Boost Performance (Probably)​

• Light, Dark, or Custom themes: No need to blind yourself at midnight or squint at high noon.
• Font selection and size: Choose your favorite coding font, crank up the size for legibility, or shrink it to fit more code.
• Background transparency: Understated, slick, and practical for overlaying reference materials.

Profile Pimpin’: Instantly Recognize Where You Are​

• Pick different color schemes for CMD, PowerShell, and your various WSL distributions.
• Slap on icons that mean something to you ( for Linux, for PowerShell—go wild).
• Name each profile with a purpose—“Work Dev,” “Admin Bash,” or just “Hack the Planet.”

Startup Magic​

• Do you always kick things off in WSL? Set WSL as your default profile under Settings -> Startup.
• Need certain scripts to run every morning? Use the startingDirectory and commandline fields in profile settings to make daily routines automatic.

Keybinding Wizardry​

Every frequent action can become a shortcut. Under Settings -> Actions:

• Revisit default key combos, turning obscure keyboard contortions into finger-friendly slickness.
• Bind “split right” to something memorable, or have “new tab in WSL” always a two-keypress tango away.

It won’t be long before you’re switching tabs like a concert pianist changing tempo.

WSL, PowerShell, and CMD: When and Why to Use Each Shell​

Windows Terminal shines brightest when you know which tool fits which job.

PowerShell: The Administrative Swiss Army Knife​

Designed for automation, scripting, and serious system tinkering, PowerShell is your go-to for administrative tasks. Its object-based output is a godsend for sophisticated workflows—and now, it shares a window with everything else, making cross-shell copy-paste a breeze.

CMD: The Old Reliable​

Sometimes, you need simplicity. CMD is still the fastest way to run classic batch scripts, handle basic file operations, or run legacy commands. In Windows Terminal, opening a CMD tab is never more than a click or hotkey away.

WSL: Linux Without the Reboot​

Developers, rejoice. WSL brings full-featured Linux environments into Windows, and Terminal supercharges this with seamless integration:

• Run apt, git, Python, or your favorite bash scripts.
• Compile Linux binaries or set up complex dev environments, no dual-booting required.
• Even use WSL’s file system alongside Windows volumes via /mnt.

In panes or tabs, you can interact, transfer info, or run cross-shell workflows—efficiency at its finest.

Real-World Workflows: Level-Up Your Productivity​

Here’s what productivity might look like:

• Left pane: PowerShell running as Admin, ready to tweak system settings.
• Right pane: WSL bash shell, managing a Node.js app with live reload.
• Bottom tab: CMD scripting out a bulk copy of yesterday’s logs.
• Bonus: An extra tab dedicated to Azure Cloud Shell.

Instant switching, zero friction. Your tools don’t fight you for screen space, and context-switching takes seconds. Multistep tasks happen in parallel, and your brain can focus on what matters, not on window management.

Troubleshooting and Advanced Tips​

Even the best tools trip up. Here’s how to smooth out the wrinkles:

• Shell not found? Double-check the executable path when creating new profiles or reinstall the missing shell.
• WSL giving you attitude? Run wsl --list to check installed distros, and make sure they launch stand-alone before adding to Terminal.
• Performance lag? Under Settings, disable acrylic effects or animations for maximum snappiness.

You can also export and import your Terminal settings—a lifesaver for reimaging or setting up new workstations.

The Subtle Joy of a Well-Oiled Terminal​

True productivity isn’t just about speed. It’s about flow—the feeling that every part of your toolkit works in harmony, giving you uninterrupted mental momentum. Windows Terminal nails this. By consolidating your command-line environments—and giving you visual clarity, customization, and keyboard-driven power—it turns the command-line from a multi-window mess into a command center worthy of a sci-fi film.
It doesn’t just save time. It makes command-line work—dare we say—fun.

The Final Word: You’ll Never Go Back​

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably already itching to click that Terminal icon and start customizing tabs, profiles, and layouts. Once you get a taste of Windows Terminal’s flexibility, there’s no going back to the ancient days of separate shells and desktop chaos. Your workflow will be sharper. Your environment: calmer. Your productivity, supercharged—one pane, one tab, one perfectly-themed command window at a time.
So go ahead, set up your Terminal. Let CMD, PowerShell, and WSL play together. Then, take a moment to enjoy the newfound order—and maybe finally close those extra windows you’ve had lingering since last Tuesday. Your command-line renaissance starts now.

---

Source: XDA How to Set Up Windows Terminal with WSL, PowerShell, and CMD for Maximum Productivity